Protective lock for gas-pipes.



T. H. YOUNG. PROTECTIVE LOOK FOR GAS PIPES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1912. I

Patented Apr. 1, 1913.

New York city,

THOMAS H. YQU'NG, 0F NEW 'YQRK, N. Y.

PROTECTIVE LOCK FORGASPIPES.

noaaeoe.

Specification of Iretters ratent.

iPatented Apr. 1, 1191.3.

Application filed may 18, 1912. Serial No. 698,137.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. YOUNG, a citizen of the United States,residing at in the county of New York and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Protective Looks forGas-Pipes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide means in connection with alockable valve for preventing disconnection of a gas meter, ordisconnection between two pipesections, except by a person having thekey.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of avalve and pipe provided with protective means embodying nay-invention.Fig. 2 represents a -verticalsection thereof, on the line 2-2 of; thespring transverse section I Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a on the line 3-3of Fig. 2. Fig. 1 represents asection on the line 4- 1 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5represents a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 represents alongitudinal section through the valve and easing showini the valveturned off but not locked. In igs. 4 and 6 the valve casing is turned 90from its position in Fig. 1, and in Fig. 6 the valve is shown closed butunlocked.

In the drawings, 10 is a section of a pipe such as a gas-supply pipe,and 11 is a lower pipe section which may be attached to a gasf meter,the two sections being connected by the usual coupling nut 12.

In the pipe 10 is interposed a valve casing mounted a tapered 13 and inthis casing is plug valve 14 having a through port 15.

The large end of the valve is provided with l a chamber 16 in whichspring 18. The outer end of this bolt is adapted to enter either one ofa pair of notches 19 located at opposite points on the inside of the rimof the valve casing 13, so being turned, 7 is retracted and the valve ismounted a locking I bolt 17 projected into locking position by throughprevents the key from being turned axially remove the valve from itscasing in any an ular position of said valve without mutilatlng theapparatus.

On the outer wall of the valve is formed a boss 22 constituting a handlewhereby the valve may be turned when unlocked, and in said wall and bossis formed a keyhole 23 V which a key2t may be inserted. This key and thebolt 17 are relatively formed in any suitable manner so that the boltmay be withdrawn by means of the key to retract its outer end fromeither of the notches 19. A stationary pin 25 (Fig. 4;) far draw thebolt from beenough backward to The bolt is bind the retaining flange 21.constantly urged in a 18 and will automatically snap into lockinengagement with the casing whenever the keypressure is absent and theopposite valve is turned to bring the bolt one of the notches 19. IPreferably it place one or more stationary indicating marks 26 on therim of the casing, and a mark 27 on the valve, tlon thatwhe-n the lattermark is brought into register with one of the marks 26 the port 15 ofthe valve will shut 0d the flow of gas as represented in Fig. 6, but notin a positionwhere the bolt 17 enters one of the notches 19 as in Figs.1 and 4. r

The operation of the parts thus far described is as follows: When thevalve let is opened to supply gas to the customer, the end or the bolt17 rests against one of the concentric surfaces 20 between the notches19. It the customer desires to turn off the gas and lock the valve inclosed position so that another occupant of the premises cannot use thegas, he turns the plug by means of the handle boss 22 into a position atrightangles to itstull-open .position, and the bolt 17 then snaps into anotch 19 and locks the valve, as represented tor example in Fig. 1. Thevalve can fgaot then be unlocked except by a person possessing a keywhich will fit the lock. The customer or a repairer may however wish toturn oil the gas temporarily without locking the valve, and this may bedone by turning the valve into the position, substantially asrepresented in Fig. 6, with port 15 closed.

The foregoing or any other suitable construction of lockable valve maybe used in in such a pos1- H locking direction by be in a position toconnection with the features now to be described, or their, equivalents,which more particularly constitute my invention.

As here shown the coupling nut 12 is pro vided with a flange 28 having aseries of holes 29 around its circumference. On the end of the plugvalve 14 is mounted an arm 30 to which is pivoted at 31 a rod 32 adaptedto occupy any one of the holes 29. This rod is of such length that whenthe arm 30 is turned'in a substantially upright direction, the rod willcome out of the hole which it occupies in the flange 28 and allow thenut 12, to be unscrewed and the meter or lower pipe-section removed, butwhen said arm stands across the line of the pipe as represented in Fi 1,or when it ints downwardly, the 1'0 32 will remain in the hole 29 andthe nut 12 can not be unscrewed. When the device isinstalled on thecustomers premises the. arm is placed in the lower semicircle of itsmovement and the customer cannot move it into the upper semicirclebecause the valve will automatically become locked in the positionrepresented. in Fig. 1 or in the opposite position, and he willtherefore be unable to disconnect the meter. This can only be done by aperson having the key who is. able to unlock the valve and'turn the arm30 into an upright position. v

W ile I have shown a preferred embodiment of the features of myinvention it will be understood that the latter may assume various'otherforms without departing from the spirit and nature thereof.

l. The combination of a pipe having two sections connected by a couplingdevice, a 1

valve in said pipe provided with locking means, and means connected withsaid valve and coupling device to prevent the uncouplingof the latterexcept in a predetermined position of said valve.

2. The combination of a pipe composed of two sections connected by acoupling nut, a rotary valve in said pipe, a locking device for saidvalve, and means connecting said valve and nut to prevent the latterfrom being uncovered except in a predetermined position of said valve,said means permitting locking and unlocking movements of the valve inother positions.

3. The combination of a pipe-section, a

-' rotary plug-valve therein provided with locking means, an arm on saidvalve, a coupling nut adapted to connect said pipe secflange on saidnut, a rotary plug-valvemounted in one of said pipe-sections andprovided with locking means, an arm on said valve, and a retaining rodpivoted to Isaid arm and occupying an aperture of said ange.

5. The combination of two pipe-sections connected bya coupler, a rotaryvalve in one of said sections having a plurality of open positions andprovided with means for locking it in closed position, and acouplerretaining member connecting said valve and coupler in a closedposition of said valve and in one open position thereof anddisconnecting the two in another open position of said valve.

6. The combination of two pipe-sections connected by a coupling device,a rotary valve in one of said sections having means for automaticallylockingit in either of two closed positions, and a retaining memberconnecting said valve and coupling device when the valve is in either ofsaid closed positions or in one open position between the two, andadapted to be disconnected from said coupling device when the valve isin the opposite open position.

7. The combination of two pipe-sections,

a coupling nut connecting the two and having an apertured flange, avalve casing in one of said sections formed with opposite lockingnotches, a rotary plug-valve in said casing having a spring-projectedbolt adapted to enter either of said notches to lock the valve in closedposition, an arm on said valve, and a retaining rod pivoted to said armand occupying an aperture of said flange when the valve is in either ofits locked positions or in one of its open positions and withdrawn fromsaid aperture when the valve is in its opposite open position. Intestimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses, this 16th day of May, 1912.

THUS. H. YOUNG.

Witnesses:

R. M. PERSON, JAMEs H. YOUNG.

